Ridgecrest City Manager Dennis Speer issued a message this week in response to a recent Kern County Grand Jury report.

The response, released Friday, addressed some of the recommendations made by the Grand Jury's Joint Powers Committee during its visit to Ridgecrest in March.

During the visit, the grand jury committee recommended that Ridgecrest's city council and officials meet more regularly with the Measure L Oversight Committee.

In his response, Speer noted that the Measure L committee held regular meetings twice a month, or as necessary.

“The meetings are attended by city staff members who provide requested information to the committee,” Speer wrote. He noted the committee's findings would be published in its annual report in February 2014.

Speer added that the committee was formed as an independent body to keep an eye on Measure L expenditures.

Speer wrote that the council is open to meet with the Measure L committee when invited.

“However, the city council recognizes the independent nature of the committee and does not intend to interfere with the committee in the performance of its duties,” Speer noted.

Speer stated, based on that recognition, the council “believes that scheduling meetings on a 'need and request' basis is the best policy at this time” to avoid any misconceptions.

“Conducting regularly scheduled meetings may be perceived as an attempt to unduly influence the committee,” Speer noted. “The council wishes to avoid this perception.”

Neither the Grand Jury report nor Speer's response makes reference to Mayor Dan Clark's idea to redefine the scope of the committee in January 2013 in what he believed fell in line with the goal of Measure L.

Additionally, neither document refers to the fallout from the attempt or the community backlash the council received as a result.

Speer also addressed the Grand Jury's recommendation that the Ridgecrest Police Department establish a written mutual aid agreement with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office.

Speer stated that a written agreement was not necessary.

“The Ridgecrest Police Department has a good working relationship with the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Office and the deputies assigned to the Trona substation,” Speer wrote.

He noted that RPD has responded to requests for assistance 88 times since 2001, on average 7 times per year.

“Over the last quarter century, mutual aid agreements between the two agencies has not been a burden or presented any significant issues,” Speer stated. He added there have been occasions where low staffing did not allow for an opportunity to respond to certain requests for assistance.

Overall, RPD's relation with other law enforcement agencies in both Kern and surrounding counties have “had a long tradition of working together” on cases and emergencies, Speer noted.

Page 2 of 2 - “The need for mutual aid agreements for day-to-day assistance between the agencies has, to date, not been necessary,” Speer said.